Protective device for door locks



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/& w .45 QZ ////l////////////////// Unite States Patent PROTECTIVE DEVICEFOR DOOR LOCKS Frank V. Martin, AtlanticCity, N. J.

Application December 1, 1952, Serial No. 323,379

10 Claims. (Cl. 109-932) This invention relates to locks of the type in which tampering with the lockdischarges a tear gas or other gas bomb and creates an alarmby exploding a cartridge.

The lock assembly describedherein has been carefully designed and constructed to provide a simple, gas discharging lock which can be readily installed in a variety of locations and which is entirely efficient and effective in use and may be easily manufactured.

A primary object of the invention therefore is to provide a foolproof construction for a gas type lock which requires minimum modification when applied to conventional lock constructions.

A further object of the invention is to provide a discharging means for the gas element or bomb in a lock of the type described which is actuated through relative movement of the lock case and the structure to which it is attached. l

A further object of the invention is to, provide a simple, effective gas bomb detonating mechanism which isreadily installed to discharge the gas bomb whether the door is a right or left-hand door or whether the tampering pressure forces the door in or out.

Further objects will be apparent from the specification and drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is aside view of my improved look as installed on a door with the outer housing and part of .theloc'k case broken away and ,with the door hung to open inwardly;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section .as seen at 2-2 of Fig. .1;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section as seen at 3-.-3 of Fig. l;

Fig. 4 shows the lock installation of Figs. l-3 with the various elements ,in a moved position such as occurs when the door isforced;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail as seenat 5--5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a perspective showing the sear and sear bracket; s

Fig. 7 is a sectional detail as seen .;at of Fig. 3; Fig. 8 is a perspective showing the firing fpin;

Fig. 9 is a view generallysimilarto Fig. 2 one reduced scale of the same lock installedon a left-hand door which is hung to open outwardly; and

Fig. 10 shows the structure .of Fig. 9 with the .lock case moved on the door to discharge the tear ,gas bomb.

The invention comprises essentially :the provision .of a spring loaded firing pin mounted .forvertical travel in the lock case proper which may betof otherwise conventional construction.

The lock case is attached to thedoor or to .the door jarnb in such a way that when the bolt is en aged in the keeper should unauthorized persons attempt .to force the door, thelock case pivots or springs ontits mounting means, thus releasing the firing .pin and discharging a pressure is applied to the locked door.

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2 effect discharge ,of the cartridge. The sear bracket and actuating mechanism have been carefully designed to render them reversible so that when the firing pin is installed in the opposite direction in the lock case, the sear bracket the lock case acts as a fulcrum point to swing the case away from the door, thus releasing the firing pin when The sear and sear bracket are mounted on the case so that, regardless of whether the pivoting action takes place at the ,front or at the back, the gas bomb will be discharged.

Referring .now more particularly -to the drawings which show my present invention employed in conjunction with a conventional vertical bolt deadlock type lock, it will be understood that this type of ,lock is admirably suited to the present invention, but it may be installed on other locks with whatever modifications, if any, may be necessary to adapt the invention to such other type of lock. The lock designated generally as 15 has a case 16 which encloses the usual mechanism for actuating the bolt 17 in keeper 18 by means of .a key. inserted in the cylinder .19 of the tumbler type lock assembly 20. The details of the lock cylinder .as well asthe other locking mechanism are conventional; therefore, it is not [believed neces sary to describe them in detail.

The lock case 16 shown in .Figs. 1-4 is secured to a door 21 by means of four screws 22., 23, 24, and 25. When the lock is installed on a door that opens inwardly as shown in Fig. 2, screws 24 and 25 are supplied with small helical springs 26,, 26between the heads of the tear gas bomb cradled in suitable proximity to a blank cartridge. The scar mechanism for discharging the firing pin is mounted on the lock case and is attached to the door so that relative movement between thecase and the door withdraws the s ar from the firing pinto screws and the .lock case 16. Also, it is found desirable not to tighten screws .22 and 23 excessively when the lock is installed sothat inthe event a predeterminedforce is exerted on the door to open it in the direction of the arrow as shown on Fig. 4., the lock case pivots around the bolt 17 as afulcrurh and againstthe inneredge 16a of the case, thus compressing the springs 26, 26 under screws 24 and 25.

This pivoting action of the lock case 16 is utilized to discharge or set oif a suitable burglar repellent or alarm mechanism. In the present invention, I modify the lock case by installing a sleeve 30 from top to bottom in the case in which a firing pin 31 is free to move in a vertical direction under pressure of helical spring 32. The bot tom of. the case.16 is provided .with a swinging. slotted bracket 34 (Fig. 5 )..which carries a blank cartridge 35. in order to reload the mechanism, it is not necessary .to remove bracket 34 entirely since a new cartridge may be inserted. simply by removing cover screws 37, 53 and 54, loosening screws 36, 36, and swinging the bracket 34 forward. This exposes the cartridge 35 and permits it to be readilyinstalled or replaced.

The top of the lock, regardless of how .it may be installed,.has a scar bracket ltlsecured to the lock case 16 by means of screws 4,1 and 42. This bracket carries a sear 43 whichhas a symmetrical nose 44 and the sear is turnable on screw 42. A stationary angle bracket 45 is pivotally connected to sear43 at 46 and also rigidly secured to the door 21 by means of a screw. The firing pin 31 extends up through an aperture in bracket 40 and is provided with a notch 48 in which the nose 44 of the sear is latched to hold the'firing pin in the cocked position shown in Fig. l. The spring 32 is compressed b ever; should excessive pressure from the outside be exerted against the door in an attempt to force the door open, the housing 50 as well as the case 16 pivots slightly asshown in Fig, 4 so that springs 26,26 are compressed on screws 24 and and the sear 43 pulled away from the firing pin 31 by'the bracket 45. This action releases the firing pin and discharges'the cartridge creating a sound alarm. The'flash from the cartridge in turn discharges1the tear gasbomb 51. v

The housing 50, after the initial movement of forcing settles back to its original position flush against the door under pressure of the springs 26, 26 and serves to confine the'tear gas within the housing from which there is a ready exit through the space surrounding the lock as sembly 20. The aperture 56 in the door is of substantially greater diameter than the lock assembly 2% and I provide suitable perforations 57 in the retaining plate 58 forthe lock so that there is ample passage for the gas to pass upwardly through apertures 59 and 60 in lock case 16, thence through aperture 57 around the lock assembly 20, and thence outwardly through apertures 61, 61 in the rosette 62. It will be understood that I employ the standard lock assembly.20, but by means of the rethe tear gas bomb 51 can be conveniently used whether the lock is mounted on a right or left-hand door and regardless of whether the door opens inward or outward. Figs. 9 and 10 show my invention applied to a left-hand door that opens outwardly. In this event, the door jamb 70 is recessed to receive the keeper 18 and the lock case 16 is turned upside-down from the position shown in Figs. l-4. In either event, the bolt 17 is released through the conventional cam actuating assembly designated generally at 71 in Fig. 3. Not only is the firing pin 31 reversible in sleeve but the. sear bracket 40 can be mounted on the opposite edge of the lock case 16 in the same tapped holes in which the bracket 34 may be secured to the bottom of the case. The bracket 34, however, is not reversible because of the slot 34a which permits the bracket tobe swung outwardly to clear the case when screw 36 is loosened. Separate brackets, therefore, should be used forright and leftdland installations. The brackets for each installation have the slot 340 facing towards the door sojthat the bracket maybe swung away from the door whether it is used top or bottom.

Fig. 10 shows the discharge position of the mechanism when there is an attempt to pull or force the door 21a open. In this event, the housing 50 and the case 16 pivot about the bolt 17 and bear against the edge 16b of the lock case and housing. Since the angle bracket 45 is reversible on the sear 43, the same action takes place to withdraw the nose 44 of the sear from the notch 48 on the firing pin, thus discharging the cartridge and tear gas bomb 51.

When my protective lock assembly is used on a door that opens outwardly, the keeper will ordinarily be in- .stalled as shown in Figs. 9 and 10, and in this event, the

springs 26, 26 will be placed on screws 22 and 23; e. g., the screws nearer the keeper, regardless of whether it is a right or left-hand installation. In either a right or left-hand installation in which the door opens inwardly, the springs 26, 26 will be placed on screws '24 and 25 (away from the keeper) as shown in Figs. 1-4. It will thus be seen that the only part that is changed to make and 2, thecase 16 is held fiat against the door 21. Ho'wa completely universal lock is the cartridge bracket 34 which is replaced whenthe lock is changed from right to left-hand installations or vice-versa.

The present lock is universal in its application to nearly any installation, and it is so designed that more than a predetermined pressure on the door automatically discharges the alarm cartridge and gas bomb. The device is extremely effective and foolproof. The use of the especially shaped scar and its bracket renders reversibility of the lock a simple matter.

While a particular embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described herein, it is not intended to limit the invention to such a disclosure and changes and modifications may be incorporated and embodied therein within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

, i. In a protective device operable to give a signal when a locked door or the like is forced relative to a door jamb or the like comprising a lock casing having lock mechanism and a bolt in said casing, a keeper operable to be engaged by the bolt, means mounting the lock casing on the door structure for limited resilient relative movement between said lock casing and door structure upon movement of the door toward open position with the lock mechanism latched, and alarm mechanism cooperatively associated with said casing actuatable upon said relative movement of the casing and door structure to give an alarm.

2. A lock assembly in accordance with claim l having a firing pin in the casing, a scar pivoted in the casing to hold said firing pin in a cocked position, and connecting means between thesear and the door for releasing said firing pin when the casing is moved with respect to the door.

3. A lock assembly in accordance with claim 1 having ahousing substantially enclosing the. lock casing. a tear gas bomb cradled in said housing, and wall defining apertures forming gas passages from a point adjacent the tear gas bomb to the opposite side of the door.

4. A protective lock assembly for doors and the like comprising a lock casing, a bolt in said casing, a keeper operable to be engaged by the bolt, mechanism. in the casing for actuating said bolt, means including at least one screw for securing the casing to a building structure, a yieldable resilient member between the casing and the screw whereby excessive pressure on the building structure permits the casing to move with respect to the building structure when the bolt is in locked position in engagement with the keeper, a non-extensible connection secured to the building structure adjacent the casing, alarm mechanism operable to be actuated upon movement of said casing, and means mounted on the casing connected to said non-extensible member for actuating said alarm mechanism when the casing is moved with respect to the building structure in a direction opposed to the pressure of said resilient member.

5. Apparatus in accordance with claim 4 in which a second building structure is positioned adjacent the first building structure and movable with respect thereto, and means securing the keeper for the bolt on said second building structure, said keeper when engaged by the bolt serving as a fulcrum to pivot the casing upon relative movement of the building structures.

6. Apparatus in accordance with claim 4 in which the casing is secured to the building structure by means of two screws having a spring between the screw heads and the'casing. V

7. Apparatus in accordance with claim 4 in which the alarm mechanism comprises a cartridge, a springloaded firing pin positioned to discharge said cartridge, and a scar for retaining the firing pin in a cockedposition.

8. Apparatus in accordance with claim 7 having-a housing substantially enclosing the casing, and a tear gas bomb cradled in said housing in proximity to the cartridge,

9. Apparatus in accordance with claim 4 in which said last named means comprises a detachable sear bracket mounted on top of the casing, 21 sear pivoted on said bracket and attached to the non-extensible member, a firing pin extending through the sear bracket in operative association with the sear, and a swingable cartridge bracket on the bottom of the casing for positioning a cartridge in line with the firing pin.

10. Apparatus in accordance with claim 9 in which the sear has a symmetrical nose selectively engagable with a notch in the firing pin in accordance with the location of the sear bracket on the casing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

